Kidde recalls more than 5 million combo smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

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Kidde is recalling 5.1 million combo smoke/CO alarms because they may not alert you if there’s a fire or carbon monoxide incident in your home, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Kidde recall: What you need to know

When’s the last time you checked the smoke detector in your home?

This recall involves smoke/CO alarms with model number KN-COSM-IB and manufacture dates between June 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2010.

“When the alarm reaches the end of its useful life, it issues an end of life chirp every thirty seconds,” Kidde says in an online post. “If the battery is replaced when the unit is at its end of life, and the test button is pressed within 10 seconds thereafter, the unit will no longer issue an end of life chirp.”

So you may think your detector is properly working, only to discover in an emergency that it’s not!

An estimated 3.6 million of these alarms were sold nationwide in the United States via the big-box home stores, electrical distributors and on Amazon. Price points were reportedly between $40 and $65. An additional 1.5 million units were also sold in Canada.

Kidde says it has received word of eight incidents with the recalled alarms failing to work. But thankfully there have been no injuries.

If you have one of these detectors in your home, contact Kidde immediately for a free replacement alarm (based on date of manufacture) or a discount on a new alarm.

You can reach the company toll-free at 855-239-0490 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at Kidde.com.

Having working smoke alarms and integrated smoke and fire detection in your home alarm system are two simple ways you can protect yourself and your family from the threat of fire.

Think you can’t afford a smoke detector? Call a fire station and ask for a referral to an organization that’s giving away smoke detectors. Don’t let money force you to put your family into an unsafe situation.